Pristine 40-acre city parcel eyed for development

PORTSMOUTH — A 40-acre parcel of land, once considered as the future location for an elderly housing campus, appears to be back on the table for development.

Charles McMahon

PORTSMOUTH — A 40-acre parcel of land, once considered as the future location for an elderly housing campus, appears to be back on the table for development.

The land, also known as Borthwick Forest, rests between Islington Street and Borthwick Avenue and is one of the last large remaining pieces of developable land in the city.

Other than the past two failed attempts to develop the wooded land, little is known about the latest potential project.

According to the city's Planning Department, the development team of Borthwick Forest, LLC, applied for a conditional use permit to conduct work within an inland wetland buffer to construct a road that connects Borthwick Avenue to Islington Street. The road would be constructed to provide access to a proposed subdivision, according to the development team.

What that subdivision ultimately entails remains a mystery.

"We really don't have the first clue as to what's next," said Michael Kane, chief executive officer of The Kane Co. As the owner of the property, Kane said construction of a road is imperative to the future development of the land.

"We do know it requires access to do anything meaningful," he said. "To do anything you need access."

Kane said the development team took a step back after it failed to gain the necessary approvals to construct a continuing care retirement community on the land in 2010. That development would have included 330 independent-living units, 50 assisted-living units and 30 skilled-nursing beds for seniors ages 62 year and older.

Bruce Keogh and Eric Chinburg around 2004 attempted to build what they called Islington Woods, a mix of townhouses, artist studio spaces, smaller commercial venues and an office building. That project failed as well.

Despite the lack of support for the retirement community project, Kane said he considers the land a great opportunity for some type of development. "We think it's a great piece of real estate," he said. "It's well situated and hopefully something good will come of it."

A first glimpse of the project appeared before the city's Conservation Commission on Oct. 9, when members attempted to glean as much information about the future of the land as possible.

Representing the development team at the meeting was Gregg Mikolaites of Tighe & Bond, who gave a brief overview of the project. The plan, he said, is to subdivide the land into a 26-acre parcel and a 14.8-acre parcel. The length of the road proposed as a connection between Borthwick Avenue and Islington Street would be roughly 2,000 linear feet, he said. The width of the proposed road would be around 36 feet, Mikolaites said, and a sidewalk would be constructed on one side of the road.

All of the work on the proposed road would be conducted outside of the wetland buffer, he added.

However, the nearby Collins Well aquifer has been cited as a top concern during the past two failed attempts at developing the surrounding land. The well supplements the main source of Portsmouth's water, which is the Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury and Dover.

Other than the specifics of the proposed road, Mikolaites said there is currently no further information about what could be developed on the land.

"This is the first step to enable future development of the property," he said.

Attorney Sharon Cuddy Somers echoed that uncertainty on behalf of the development team. "We don't know yet what's happening with this property," she said. "We don't know what we want to do, or frankly if we'd be doing it."

Somers said whatever happens the plan would likely be consistent with city zoning regulations, which lists the property as being in the Single Residence B District and the Office Research District.

"I think the intent is to create a roadway that will ultimately have development consistent with allowed uses in the zone," Somers said.

Conservation Commission members appeared to have several concerns about the proposed road's impact.

"I have a concern about the wildlife impact a new roadway would have on an otherwise undeveloped area," said Peter Britz, the city's environmental planner.

Britz said the city conducted a survey of the property and determined there is the potential for what he called a "wildlife passage."

The commission's chairman, Steven Miller, said he too had concerns about wildlife, saying he's seen river otter in the area.

Residents appear concerned about the proposed road, and what it may mean for the neighborhood and surrounding wildlife. Islington Street resident Paul Mannle, who was the only citizen to attend the Conservation Commission meeting, said he can attest to the presence of animals in the area.

"There are deer, foxes, beaver, and I don't know how many turkeys," he said.

While not necessarily speaking against the project, Mannle urged the city to conduct a comprehensive study of the land before allowing potential development to move any further.

The project was also brought up at a recent Parking and Traffic Safety Committee meeting by Islington Street resident Ralph DiBernardo, who said he received an abutter's notice, yet knows very little about the plans.

"Attempts at information are somewhat limited," he said.

DiBernardo said not knowing what's in store for the land is worrisome. "It basically scares the hell out of us neighbors," he said.

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